After 23 years, Fukuoka City has decided to end its annual Asian arts and culture event, Fukuoka Asia Month, and re-launch it as Asian Party, an event aimed at publicizing Fukuoka and expanding business opportunities with Asia. The primary elements of Asia Month, including the film festival, will remain, but the City will add a new events to showcase its game development and fashion industries as well an international symposium.
According to the City, visitors from Asia have nearly tripled from 200,000 to almost 600,000 between 1993 and 2011, and exchange events continue to expand. Amid criticism that Asia Month had grown stale, the city decided that the event had achieved its initial aim of “making Fukuoka an international city” and changed it to Asian Party. Events are primarily scheduled for September, although the details have yet to be fixed. They will include Creative Fest, an event to showcase the game development, animation and fashion industries, as well as the aforementioned international symposium. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun, Feb. 18
